As Iran Assists Syria, Iraqi Airspace Becomes a Diplomatic Battleground

Syria September 5, 2012, 2:11 pm

By JEFFERY DELVISCIO

Michael R. Gordon reports in Tuesday's Times that the airspace over Iraq is becoming a complicated proxy of Iraq's relations with the United States and with its neighbors across the Middle East.

Here is a distilled version of what actually happened:

• Shiite-led Iran sent supplies to Syria to help prop up the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which is dominated by members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
• Iranian planes flew through Iraq airspace to get there.
• The United States asked the leader of Iraq's Shiite-dominated government to stop.
• Iraq stopped flights for a time, but later let them start again, allowin g Iranian planes to pass without having to land and face inspection.

There is, of course, a complex set of diplomatic chess moves being made here. Iraq shares a historical enmity with Iran, yet views the potential fall of Mr. Assad as a development that might strengthen Sunni Arab and Kurdish rivals in the region. The United States can no longer easily press the issue of closing Iraqi airspace, as it has no planes left in the country. Some states that are the most eager to see Mr. Assad go, like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, have poor relations with Mr. Maliki and his government. The United States is also reluctant to pursue a no-fly zone over Syria for fear or being drawn deeper into the conflict, but Iran has big interests in keeping Assad in power. And Iran's zeal in sending weapons to the Syrian government comes at a delicate time for relations between Iran and the United States. At the end of August, the United States said that it would continue to negotia te with Iran on its nuclear activities despite evidence that the Iranians have been busy installing nuclear centrifuges.

Read the full article here.

Q&A: Setting Up A Wireless Printer

September 5, 2012, 11:17 am

By J.D. BIERSDORFER

What's involved in setting up a new wireless printer in Windows 7 on my home network?

Setup steps will vary based on the printer model and other hardware in the mix. You may need to briefly connect the printer to the computer with a USB cable to install driver or utility programs on the computer. (You may be able to download the necessary software from the manufacturer's Web site instead.)

When you are going through the setup process, you need to know the network's name and password (if it has one) so you can connect the new printer. Most modern wireless printers have a display screen you use to call up the Wi-Fi settings and enter the network's connection information. Check the manual for spec ific troubleshooting steps if the printer does not connect to the network; your network router or security software may be to blame.

When the printer has joined the network, follow the same steps you normally use to add it to your PC's print menu. Microsoft has steps for adding a network, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth printer in Windows 7 here.

In Latest Update, Leapster Adds More Power

September 5, 2012, 8:49 am

By GREGORY SCHMIDT

The Leapster game system from LeapFrog has undergone several revisions over the years. This summer, it slimmed down while gaining a bit of muscle.

The latest version, the $70 LeapsterGS, is thinner than its predecessor, the Leapster Explorer, but it has more features, like a built-in camera, videorecorder and microphone. It also has a larger screen, a faster processor and more memory, 2 gigabytes compared with 512 megabytes in the previous version.

One of the best advancements in the LeapsterGS is a motion sensor, which allows children to play games by jiggling, tilting and turning the device.

The LeapsterGS, which is intended for children ages 4 to 9 and is available at most major retailer s, comes with free content, including a math game called Escape of the Sillies. Additional cartridges featuring characters like Disney's Phineas and Ferb and Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants cost $25; apps start at $5.

LeapFrog plans to have more than 300 games and other content by the end of the year. For parents with the older model, rest assured that LeapsterGS is compatible with all Explorer cartridges and apps.

The Leapster was created to teach reading, math and science to children weaned on the Nintendo DS and other hand-held gaming systems. I tested a LeapsterGS with my 8-year-old niece, and she was playing games with it before I could find the instructions for turning it on. She was particularly fascinated with a game called Splurgle, in which she moved through a science puzzle using logic and problem-solving skills. In fact, it was hard prying the LeapsterGS from her hands, even with her 9-year-old cousin begging for a turn.

The LeapsterGS remem bered the progress my niece made in each game, praising her when she completed a task and encouraging her when she made a mistake. This way, she could move quickly from the easy tasks to ones that were more challenging.

It won't be hard to get children to pick up the LeapsterGS, but it might be difficult getting them to put it down.

Alerts to Make Your Phone More Distracting

September 5, 2012, 7:03 am

By ROY FURCHGOTT

If your Facebook, e-mail, Twitter and text alerts aren't intrusive enough, meet an app called Pops, which makes them more so. But there is a twist.

A free app for Android phones, Pops lets you choose an animation that can be assigned to specific kinds of alerts, or to alerts from specific people. Instead of your phone just showing an icon when you receive a Facebook alert, an animation can take over your screen.

But here's the twist, it also lets you send messages with animated alerts that show up on the phones of recipients.

There are list of conditions, though. Pops only works between Android devices, and both have to have the Pops app installed. The people you want to send Pops to have to be in your contacts list. Yaron Orenstein, co-founder of Pops, said the company would soon change that so you can send a Pops to a number not in your contacts.

In a test of Pops, the animations provided worked the way they were supposed to. I tried one with monsters disgorging other monsters for Facebook alerts and a space ship animation for incoming texts.

The app only activates the animations when your phone screen is idle, so it won't interrupt other things when you get text. You can also set it to run only between certain hours, so you don't have a laughing skull appearing on your phone at work.

Pops current settings allow animated notifications for SMS messages, Gmail, Facebook, Google+ and gTalk.

Mr. Orenstein said Pops would respond to more sources of notifications in the future, like Foursquare, and that they would be adding animations from commercial partners, like record companies and movie studios. “Hopefully, we will be able to replicate the popularity of ringtones.”

Q&A: Telling Android Widget From App

September 4, 2012, 1:02 pm

By J.D. BIERSDORFER

What is the difference between a widget and an app on my Android phone? Or are they the same thing?

Widgets and apps are separate types of programs that run on an Android phone and they serve different purposes. Widgets are basically self-contained mini programs that live and run on the phone's home screen. They tend to perform simple functions - like the Clock widget showing the time and temperature - but do so dynamically so you do not have to fiddle around to update them.

In addition to showing current information at a glance, widgets can work like control switches for other part of the system. For example, a widget can be used to turn the phone's Bluetooth function on or off.

Apps, on the other hand, are typically programs you tap open and run. Apps can be very multifunctional, like a program that lets you create and edit spreadsheets right on your phone. Some apps include their own widgets to sit out on the phone's home screen while grabbing information from that app - like a weather app that has a widget for showing the current conditions and any storm alerts in the area.

Certain widgets can help save the phone's battery power by making it easy to turn off power-draining features. However, running a lot of widgets that constantly check the Internet for fresh information can run down the battery as well.

Although there are plenty of battery-monitor widgets out there, you can check on it yourself. In many versions of Android, click the Menu button, choose Settings and scroll down to About Phone. Select the Battery or Battery Use option to see the current state of the phone's battery, and what hardware and software components are drawing the mo st power from it.

A Speaker With a Firm Grip on Sound

September 4, 2012, 7:46 am

By GREG SCHMIDT

As wireless speakers become more abundant in the marketplace, it's getting harder to tell them apart. So companies are coming up with distinct designs and kooky names, hoping to stand out from the crowd.

The latest entry in this field is the Zooka from Carbon Audio, a bar-shaped wireless speaker designed to slide onto the edge of a MacBook or iPad.

Zooka is made of silicone, which provides a firm grip when attached to your device without scratching it. After a quick pairing via Bluetooth, you're ready to go.

Zooka provides better sound than either the MacBook or iPad alone, enhancing movies and music played on your device. But the concept of a slide-on speaker works better with the MacBook, wh ere Zooka rests at the top of the screen. A notch in the middle of the speaker allows use of the laptop's camera.

With an iPad, you have to take the cover off first, which can be a hassle with some of the more protective covers. And Zooka will grip the iPad, but its rounded edges won't hold it up on a flat surface. To resolve that, the designers included a removable metal peg stand, which looks a bit like the tip of a car antenna. Giving Zooka a flat edge might have been a better option.

Zooka, which sells for $100 and is available at the Apple Store, comes with a built-in microphone, which is useful with Skype or FaceTime, and a micro-USB charging cable.

It comes in nine colors, none of them white, which would have been a better aesthetic fit with a MacBook. It's not on the high end of wireless speakers, but it's portable and colorful, making it a good fit for any dorm room.

Q&A: Replacing a Sealed MacBook Pro Battery

September 3, 2012, 7:00 am

By J.D. BIERSDORFER

I have a MacBook Pro laptop with one of those batteries you can't remove and replace. The battery is starting to conk out and I don't live near an Apple Store, so what is the easiest way to get it replaced?

If you do not live near one of Apple's retail stores with its Genius Bar diagnostic and repair services, your Apple-approved options include finding an Apple-authorized repair shop to handle the job. You may also be able to send the laptop to Apple's service depot for battery replacement, but the job could take several days.

For laptops still under the one-year warranty, Apple covers the cost of replacing a defective battery. If the warranty period for the MacBook Pro has passed, it costs bet ween $129 and $199 to get the sealed battery replaced, depending on the model.

More daring options for battery replacement include trying to find a third-party service to handle it or trying the job yourself - although these methods could risk the health of the computer if not done properly. (Cracking open the laptop's case and messing around with the innards will most likely violate any warranty you may have left as well.) Still, if you want to know what is involved with the do-it-yourself route, the repair site iFixit has online guides and videos that demonstrate the MacBook Pro battery-replacement procedure.